Jazz Focus

Putney Dandridge with Red Allen

Great 1935-36 sessions for Vocalion featuring the singer and entertainer with a band led by the New Orleans trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen - also featuring Buster Bailey, Joe Marsala, Teddy Wilson, James Sherman, Clyde Hart, Eddie Condon, Wilson Myers, John Kirby and Cozy Cole

Show- Artie Shaw and His Gramercy Five

Superb chamber jazz featuring Shaw on clarinet with either Billy Butterfield or Roy Eldridge on trumpets, Johnny Guarnieri on harpischord (!), Dodo Marmarosa on piano, Al Hendrickson or Barney Kessel on guitar, Jud DeNaut or Morrie Rayman on bass, Morey Feld or Lou Fromm on durms.  Two bonus (live) tracks with Shaw soloing with Count Basie's band and rhythm section

Wilbur DeParis' New New Orleans Jazz 1950, 51

The early version of the DeParis Brothers' band live from Jimmy Ryan's and featuring Wilbur on trombone, Sidney on trumpet, Omer Simeon on clarinet, Don Kirkpatrick and Norman Lester on piano, Eddie Gibbs and Danny Barker on banjo and Freddie Moore on drums.

Show - Roy Eldridge and His Orchestra 1944-46

Excellent big band led by trumpeter Eldridge in the middle 1940's before and after his tenure with Artie Shaw.  Arrangements by Elton Hill, Buster Harding and others featuring him with Sandy Williams on trombone, Porter Kilbert, Joe Eldridge and Edmond Gregory (Sahib Shihab) on alto, Franz Jackson and Tom Archia on tenors, Duke Jordan on piano, Sam Allen on guitar, Cozy Cole on drums and others

Bebop Clarinet - Stan Hasselgard 1947-8

A protege of Benny Goodman's at the end of his life, Hasselgard had a short but eventful career.  After coming to the US in 1946 or so, he played with many big names, including Teddy Wilson, Red Norvo, Barbara Carroll, Barney Kessel, Wardell Gray and Goodman himself.  These are three sessions issued under Hasselgard's name as well as four airchecks from the Click with the Benny Goodman Septet.

Show - Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra 1941-43

Millinder went from fronting the Mills Blue Rhythm Band in the 1930's to leading his own, more blues-based group in the 1940's and 50's.  This first edition recorded for Decca and included musicians like Stafford Simon and Sam "The Man" Taylor on tenors, Ernest Purce on baritone, Tab Smith and Ted Barnett on altos with a cameo from Buster Bailey on clarinet.  Trumpets included William "Chiefie" Scott, Archie Johnston and modernists Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Guy and Freddie Webster along with Bill Doggett on piano, George Duvivier or Abe Bolar on bass and Panama Francis on drums.  The real star was Sister Rosetta Tharpe both singing and playing a very early version of rock and roll electric guitar.

Red Allen and the blues singers of the 1930's

The great New Orleans trumpeter Allen accompanies singers for Decca and Vocalion - Victoria Spivey, Rosetta Howard, Trixie Smith, Blue Lu Barker and the remarkable Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon . . also featuring Lil Armstrong, Ulysses Livingston, Sammy Price, Wellman Braud, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Rupert Cole, Albert Nicholas, Charlie Holmes, Luis Russell and Pops Foster.

Show- Peanuts Hucko on V Disc, 1947-48

Great series of V-Disc sessions featuring the clarinetist Hucko as leader (with Lou Stein, Mundell Lowe, Jack Lesberg, Dave Tough, Bobby Hackett, Cliff Strickland and Fred Ohms) and with Joe Bushkin (with Liza Morrow, Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Ernie Caceres, Morey Feld, Ohms) and Johnny Blowers (with Chris Griffin, Bill Stegmeyer, Herb Winfield, Dave Bowman)

The Jazzworthy Glenn Miller - live, 1938-41

Great performances taken from radio broadcasts, live dates and concerts featuring the jazz side of the Miller Orchestra . . solos by Bob Price, Clyde Hurley and John Best (trumpet), Willie Schwartz and Ernie Caceres (clarinet), Hal McIntyre (alto), Tex Beneke and Al Klink (tenor), Chummy McGregor (piano) and Moe Purtill (drums)

Show- Mills Blue Rhythm Band 1936-1937

Little known black band of the 1930's here featured  in their last set of recordings for Columbia and Variety.  The first set has Red Allen on trumpet, JC Higginbotham on trombone and Joe Garland on tenor and bass sax . .the second group has the reorganized band with Charlie Shavers and Harry Edison on trumpet, Harry Arnold on tenor, Wilbur DeParis on trombone and Lucky Millinder singing.  Both groups feature Tab Smith on alto and soprano and Billy Kyle on piano.